Taylor Swift's Record Label: Does She Own Her Own Company?
Yes, Taylor Swift has her own record label called Republic Records in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG). She founded this venture in 2018 after leaving her previous label, Big Machine Records, where she spent the first 13 years of her career.
Under her new agreement with Republic Records/UMG, Swift owns all her master recordings for any music released after 2018. This includes her albums "Lover," "Folklore," "Evermore," "Midnights," and all her re-recorded albums known as "Taylor's Version."
The key aspects of Taylor Swift's record label deal include:
• Full ownership of her master recordings • Control over licensing her music for commercial use • Better revenue sharing terms • Creative freedom over her artistic direction
Before establishing this partnership, Swift was signed to Big Machine Records from 2005 to 2018. The dispute over her master recordings from this period led her to re-record her first six albums, a process she began in 2021.
While Republic Records/UMG isn't exclusively Swift's label (they represent many other artists), her deal gives her unprecedented control over her music. It's important to note that this isn't a traditional "own label" situation, but rather a strategic partnership that gives her many of the benefits of label ownership while leveraging UMG's global distribution network.
The arrangement has proven highly successful, with Swift breaking numerous records and achieving unprecedented commercial success since the partnership began. This includes becoming the first artist to simultaneously hold all top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 and breaking streaming records with her re-recorded albums.
For new artists looking to follow Swift's path, it's worth noting that this level of control and ownership is extremely rare in the music industry and was earned through her previous commercial success and business acumen.